January 7, 2008 - Two giant screen films have been nominated for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project for the 6th annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards. The VES Awards recognize outstanding visual effects in over a dozen categories of film, television, commercials, and video games. The giant screen films nominated this year are Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia from Sky High Entertainment, with visual effects by Mario Couturier, Vincent Roberge, Richard Bergeron, and Martin L'Heureux (Studio Virtuel Concept), and Sea Monsters from National Geographic, with visual effects by Sean Phillips, Jack Geist, Robin Aristorenas, and Mark Dubeau. Nominees were chosen Saturday, January 5, 2008, by numerous panels of VES members who viewed submissions at the FotoKem screening facilities in Burbank.   
 
“We received hundreds of submissions from around the world and we are proud to present nominees that push the boundaries of how visual effects can enhance the storytelling process,” says Jeff Okun, VES Chair. “Looking at the level of complexity and creativity of this year’s nominees, it is clear that the VES is the single most important pool of talent, experience, and knowledge in the visual effects world.”

The 6th Annual VES Awards will take place on February 10, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre Grand Ballroom in Hollywood. Last year’s event attracted more than 800 celebrities, visual effects and animation artists, dozens of nominees, and members of the film, television, and gaming industries. This year the VES will present Steven Spielberg the VES Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes the contribution that his vast body of work, as both a director and producer, has made to the art and science of visual effects.